Synopses & Reviews
The lively and accessible narrative and the hallmark focus on social and cultural history that has made
A History of Western Society one of the most successful textbooks for the Western civilization course is now available at a greatly reduced cost. The new Value Edition of
A History of Western Society includes the full narrative, the popular "Individuals in Society" feature, and select primary sources, images, and maps. Available with all of the integrated media and supplements of the full text--including access to LearningCurve, Bedford's new online adaptive learning resource, and new online document assignments—the Value Edition offers a wealth of resources for students and more flexibility for instructors, all at an extremely affordable price.
To see an example of the new Online Document Assignment from Chapter 14, click here.
About the Author
John P. McKay (Ph.D., University of California, Berkeley) is professor emeritus at the University of Illinois. He has written or edited numerous works, including the Herbert Baxter Adams Prize-winning book
Pioneers for Profit: Foreign Entrepreneurship and Russian Industrialization, 1885-1913 and
Tramways and Trolleys: The Rise of Urban Mass Transport in Europe. He also contributed to
Imagining the Twentieth Century.
Bennett D. Hill (Ph.D., Princeton), late of the University of Illinois, was the history department chair from 1978 to 1981. He published Church and State in the Middle Ages, English Cistercian Monasteries and Their Patrons in the Twelfth Century, and numerous articles and reviews, and was one of the contributing editors to The Encyclopedia of World History. A Benedictine monk of St. Anselm's Abbey in Washington, D.C., he was also a visiting professor at Georgetown University.
John Buckler (Ph.D., Harvard University) taught history at the University of Illinois. Published books include Aegean Greece in the Fourth Century B.C., Philip II and the Sacred War, and Theban Hegemony, 371-362 B.C. With Hans Beck, he most recently published Central Greece and the Politics of Power in the Fourth Century.
Clare Haru Crowston (Ph.D., Cornell University) teaches at the University of Illinois, where she is currently associate professor of history. She is the author of Fabricating Women: The Seamstresses of Old Regime France, 1675-1791, which won the Berkshire and Hagley Prizes. She edited two special issues of the Journal of Women's History, has published numerous journal articles and reviews, and is a past president of the Society for French Historical Studies and a former chair of the Pinkney Prize Committee.
Merry E. Wiesner-Hanks (Ph.D., University of Wisconsin-Madison) taught first at Augustana College in Illinois, and since 1985 at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, where she is currently UWM Distinguished Professor in the department of history. She is the coeditor of the Sixteenth Century Journal and the author or editor of more than twenty books, most recently The Marvelous Hairy Girls: The Gonzales Sisters and Their Worlds and Gender in History. She currently serves as the Chief Reader for Advanced Placement World History.
Joe Perry (Ph.D., University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign) is Associate Professor of modern German and European history at Georgia State University. He has published numerous articles and is author of the recently published book Christmas in Germany: A Cultural History. His current research interests include issues of consumption, gender, and television in East and West Germany after World War II.
Table of Contents
Chapter 1: Origins to 1200 b.c.e. Understanding Western History Describing the West What Is Civilization? The Earliest Human Societies From the First Hominids to the Paleolithic Era Planting Crops Implications of Agriculture Trade and Cross-Cultural Connections Civilization in Mesopotamia Environment and Mesopotamian Development The Invention of Writing and the First Schools Religion in Mesopotamia Sumerian Politics and Society Empires in Mesopotamia The Akkadians and the Babylonians Life Under Hammurabi Cultural Exchange in the Fertile Crescent The Egyptians The Nile and the God-King Egyptian Religion Egyptian Society and Work Egyptian Family Life The Hyksos and New Kingdom Revival Conflict and Cooperation with the Hittites Chapter Review -
LearningCurveONLINE DOCUMENT ASSIGNMENT Individuals in Society: Hatshepsut and Nefertiti
Primary Source: Paleolithic Venus Figures
Primary Source: Morality in the Egyptian
Book of the DeadChapter 2: Small Kingdoms and Mighty Empires in the Near East 1200-510 b.c.e. Iron and the Emergence of New States Iron Technology The Decline of Egypt and the Emergence of Kush The Rise of Phoenicia The Hebrews The Hebrew State The Jewish Religion Hebrew Family and Society Assyria, the Military Monarchy Assyrias Long Road to Power Assyrian Rule and Culture The Neo-Babylonian EmpireThe Empire of the Persian Kings Consolidation of the Persian Empire Persian Religion Persian Art and Culture Chapter Review -
LearningCurveONLINE DOCUMENT ASSIGNMENT Individuals in Society: Cyrus the Great
Primary Source: The Report of Wenamun
Primary Source: A Jewish Family Contract
Chapter 3: The Development of Greek Society and Culture, ca. 3000-338 b.c.e. Greece in the Bronze Age Geography and Settlement The Minoans The Mycenaeans Homer, Hesiod, and the Epic The Development of the Polis in the Archaic Age Organization of the Polis Governing Structures Overseas Expansion The Growth of Sparta The Evolution of Athens War and Turmoil in the Classical Period The Persian Wars Growth of the Athenian Empire The Peloponnesian War The Struggle for Dominance Philip II and Macedonian Supremacy Classical Greek Life and Culture Athenian Arts in the Age of Pericles Households and Work Gender and Sexuality Public and Personal Religion The Flowering of Philosophy Chapter Review -
LearningCurveONLINE DOCUMENT ASSIGNMENT Individuals in Society: Aspasia
Primary Source: Hesiod,
Works and Days Primary Source: Sophocles,
Antigone Chapter 4: Life in the Hellenistic World 336-30 b.c.e.Alexanders Conquests and Their Political Legacy Military Campaigns The Political Legacy Building a Hellenized Society Urban Life Greeks in Hellenistic Cities Greeks and Non-Greeks The Economy of the Hellenistic World Agriculture and Industry Commerce Religion and Philosophy in the Hellenistic World Religion and Magic Hellenism and the Jews Philosophy and the People Hellenistic Science and Medicine Science Medicine Chapter Review -
LearningCurveONLINE DOCUMENT ASSIGNMENT Alexander the Great
Primary Source: Arrian on Alexander the Great
Individuals in Society: Archimedes, Scientist and Inventor
Chapter 5: The Rise of Rome ca. 1000-27 b.c.e. Romes Rise to Power The Geography of Italy The Etruscans The Founding of Rome The Roman Conquest of Italy The Roman Republic The Roman State Social Conflict in Rome Roman Expansion The Punic Wars Rome Turns East Roman Society Roman Families Greek Influence on Roman Culture Opposing Views: Cato the Elder and Scipio Aemilianus The Late Republic Reforms for Poor and Landless Citizens Political Violence Civil War Chapter Review -
LearningCurveONLINE DOCUMENT ASSIGNMENT Individuals in Society: Queen Cleopatra
Primary Source: A Womans Actions in the Turia Inscription
Primary Source: Plutarch on the Reforms of Gaius Gracchus
Chapter 6: The Roman Empire, 27 b.c.e.-284 c.e. Augustuss Reign The Principate Roman Expansion The Flowering of Latin Literature Marriage and Morality Augustuss Successors The Julio-Claudians and the Flavians The Age of the "Five Good Emperors" Rome and the Provinces Life in Imperial Rome Approaches to Urban Problems Popular Entertainment Prosperity in the Roman Provinces Trade and Commerce The Coming of Christianity Factors Behind the Rise of Christianity The Life and Teachings of Jesus The Spread of Christianity The Growing Acceptance and Evolution of Christianity The Empire in Disarray Civil Wars and Military Commanders Turmoil in Economic Life Chapter Review -
LearningCurveONLINE DOCUMENT ASSIGNMENT Individuals in Society: Bithus, a Soldier in the Roman Army
Primary Source: Ovid,
The Art of Love Chapter 7: Late Antiquity, 250-600 Reconstruction Under Diocletian and Constantine Political Measures Economic Issues The Acceptance of Christianity The Growth of the Christian Church The Church and Its Leaders The Development of Christian Monasticism Monastery Life Christianity and Classical Culture Christian Notions of Gender and Sexuality Saint Augustine on Human Nature, Will, and Sin Barbarian Society Village and Family Life Tribes and Hierarchies Customary and Written Law Celtic and Germanic Religion Migration, Assimilation, and Conflict Celtic and Germanic People in Gaul and Britain Visigoths and Huns Germanic Kingdoms and the End of the Roman Empire Christian Missionaries and Conversion Missionaries Actions The Process of Conversion The Byzantine Empire Sources of Byzantine Strength The Law Code of Justinian Byzantine Intellectual Life The Orthodox Church Chapter Review -
LearningCurveONLINE DOCUMENT ASSIGNMENT Individuals in Society: Theodora of Constantinople
Primary Source: Recruiting and Training Soldiers in the Roman Army
Primary Source: Tacitus on Germanic Society
Chapter 8: Europe in the Early Middle Ages, 600-1000 The Spread of Islam The Arabs The Prophet Muhammad The Teachings and Expansion of Islam Sunni and Shia Divisions Life in Muslim Spain Muslim-Christian Relations Cross-Cultural Influences in Science and Medicine Frankish Rulers and Their Territories The Merovingians The Rise of the Carolingians The Warrior-Ruler Charlemagne Carolingian Government and Society The Imperial Coronation of Charlemagne Early Medieval Culture The Carolingian Renaissance Northumbrian Learning and Writing Invasions and Migrations Vikings in Western Europe Slavs and Vikings in Eastern Europe Magyars and Muslims Political and Economic Decentralization Decentralization and the Origins of "Feudalism" Manorialism, Serfdom, and the Slave Trade Chapter Review -
LearningCurveONLINE DOCUMENT ASSIGNMENT Individuals in Society: The Venerable Bede
Primary Source: The Muslim Conquest of Spain
Primary Source: The Death of Beowulf
Chapter 9: State and Church in the High Middle Ages, 1000-1300 Political Revival and the Origins of the Modern State England France Central Europe Italy The Iberian Peninsula Law and Justice Local Laws and Royal Courts The Magna Carta Law in Everyday Life Nobles Origins and Status of the Nobility Training, Marriage, and Inheritance Power and Responsibility The Papacy The Gregorian Reforms Emperor Versus Pope Criticism and Heresy The Popes and Church Law Monks, Nuns, and Friars Monastic Revival Life in Convents and Monasteries The Friars The Crusades and the Expansion of Christianity Background and Motives of the Crusades The Course of the Crusades Consequences of the Crusades The Expansion of Christianity Christendom Chapter Review -
LearningCurveONLINE DOCUMENT ASSIGNMENT Individuals in Society: Hildegard of Bingen
Primary Source: Marriage and Wardship in the Norman Exchequer
Primary Source: Pope Boniface VIII,
Unam Sanctam Chapter 10: Life in Villages and Cities of the High Middle Ages, 1000-1300 Village Life Slavery, Serfdom, and Upward Mobility The Manor Work Home Life Childbirth and Child Abandonment Popular Religion Christian Life in Medieval Villages Saints and Sacraments Muslims and Jews Rituals of Marriage and Birth Death and the Afterlife Towns and Economic Revival The Rise of Towns Merchant and Craft Guilds The Revival of Long‑Distance Trade Business Procedures The Commercial Revolution Urban Life City Life Servants and the Poor Popular Entertainment Medieval Universities Origins Legal and Medical Training Theology and Philosophy University Students Literature and Architecture Vernacular Literature and Drama Churches and Cathedrals Chapter Review -
LearningCurveONLINE DOCUMENT ASSIGNMENT Life in Medieval Towns
Primary Source: The Pilgrims Guide to Santiago de Compostela
Individuals in Society: Francesco Datini
Primary Source: Thomas Aquinas on Reason and Faith
Chapter 11: The Later Middle Ages, 1300-1450 Prelude to Disaster Climate Change and Famine Social Consequences The Black Death Pathology Spread of the Disease Care of the Sick Economic, Religious, and Cultural Effects The Hundred Years War Causes English Successes Joan of Arc and Frances Victory Aftermath Challenges to the Church The Babylonian Captivity and Great Schism Critiques, Divisions, and Councils Lay Piety and Mysticism Social Unrest in a Changing Society Peasant Revolts Urban Conflicts Sex in the City Fur-Collar Crime Ethnic Tensions and Restrictions Literacy and Vernacular Literature Chapter Review -
LearningCurveONLINE DOCUMENT ASSIGNMENT Individuals in Society: Meister Eckhart
Primary Source: The Trial of Joan of Arc
Primary Source: The Statute of Laborers
Chapter 12: European Society in the Age of the Renaissance, 1350-1550 Wealth and Power in Renaissance Italy Trade and Prosperity Communes and Republics of Northern Italy City-States and the Balance of Power Intellectual Change Humanism Education Political Thought Christian Humanism The Printed Word Art and the Artist Patronage and Power Changing Artistic Styles The Renaissance Artist Social Hierarchies Race and Slavery Wealth and the Nobility Gender Roles Politics and the State in Western Europe France England Spain Chapter Review -
LearningCurveONLINE DOCUMENT ASSIGNMENT Individuals in Society: Leonardo da Vinci
Primary Source: A Sermon of Savonarola
Primary Source: Cassandra Fedele on Humanist Learning
Chapter 13: Reformations and Religious Wars, 1500-1600 The Early Reformation The Christian Church in the Early Sixteenth Century Martin Luther Protestant Thought The Appeal of Protestant Ideas The Radical Reformation and the German Peasants War Marriage, Sexuality, and the Role of Women The Reformation and German Politics The Rise of the Habsburg Dynasty Religious Wars in Switzerland and Germany The Spread of Protestant Ideas Scandinavia Henry VIII and the Reformation in England Upholding Protestantism in England Calvinism The Reformation in Eastern Europe The Catholic Reformation Papal Reform and the Council of Trent New and Reformed Religious Orders Religious Violence French Religious Wars The Netherlands Under Charles V The Great European Witch-Hunt Chapter Review -
LearningCurveONLINE DOCUMENT ASSIGNMENT Individuals in Society: Anna Jansz of Rotterdam
Primary Source: Elizabethan Injunctions About Religion
Primary Source: 1547 Ordinances in Calvins Geneva
Chapter 14: European Exploration and Conquest, 1450-1650World Contacts Before Columbus The Trade World of the Indian Ocean The Trading States of Africa The Ottoman and Persian Empires Genoese and Venetian Middlemen The European Voyages of Discovery Causes of European Expansion Technology and the Rise of Exploration The Portuguese Overseas Empire The Problem of Christopher Columbus Later Explorers Spanish Conquest in the New World Early French and English Settlement in the New World The Impact of Conquest Colonial Administration Impact of European Settlement on Indigenous Peoples Life in the Colonies The Columbian Exchange Europe and the World After Columbus Sugar and Slavery Spanish Silver and Its Economic Effects The Birth of the Global Economy Changing Attitudes and Beliefs New Ideas About Race Michel de Montaigne and Cultural Curiosity William Shakespeare and His Influence Chapter Review -
LearningCurveONLINE DOCUMENT ASSIGNMENT Individuals in Society: Juan de Pareja
Primary Source: A Portuguese Traveler Describes Swahili City-States of East Africa
Primary Source: Tenochtitlán Leaders Respond to Spanish Missionaries
Chapter 15: Absolutism and Constitutionalism, ca. 1589-1725 Seventeenth-Century Crisis and Rebuilding The Social Order and Peasant Life Famine and Economic Crisis The Thirty Years War Achievements in State-Building Warfare and the Growth of Army Size Popular Political Action Absolutism in France and Spain The Foundations of Absolutism Louis XIV and Absolutism Life at Versailles French Financial Management Under Colbert Louis XIVs Wars The Decline of Absolutist Spain in the Seventeenth Century Absolutism in Austria and Prussia The Return of Serfdom in the East The Austrian Habsburgs Prussia in the Seventeenth Century The Consolidation of Prussian Absolutism The Development of Russia and the Ottoman Empire The Mongol Yoke and the Rise of Moscow The Tsar and His People The Reforms of Peter the Great The Growth of the Ottoman Empire Alternatives to Absolutism in England and the Dutch Republic Absolutist Claims in England Religious Divides and the English Civil War Cromwell and Puritanical Absolutism in England The Restoration of the English Monarchy Constitutional Monarchy and Cabinet Government The Dutch Republic in the Seventeenth Century Baroque Art and Music Chapter Review -
LearningCurveONLINE DOCUMENT ASSIGNMENT Individuals in Society: Hürrem
Primary Source: Letter from Versailles
Primary Source: John Locke,
Two Treatises of Government Chapter 16: Toward a New Worldview, 1540-1789 Major Breakthroughs of the Scientific Revolution Scientific Thought in 1500 Origins of the Scientific Revolution The Copernican Hypothesis Brahe, Kepler, and Galileo: Proving Copernicus Right Newtons Synthesis Important Changes in Scientific Thinking Bacon, Descartes, and the Scientific Method Medicine, the Body, and Chemistry Empire and Natural History Science and Society The Enlightenment The Emergence of the Enlightenment The Influence of the Philosophes Jean-Jacques Rousseau The International Enlightenment Urban Culture and Life in the Public Sphere Race and the Enlightenment Enlightened Absolutism Frederick the Great of Prussia Catherine the Great of Russia The Austrian Habsburgs Jewish Life and the Limits of Enlightened Absolutism Chapter Review -
LearningCurveONLINE DOCUMENT ASSIGNMENT Individuals in Society: Moses Mendelssohn and the Jewish Enlightenment
Primary Source: Galileo Galilei,
The Sidereal Messenger Primary Source: Du Châtelet,
Foundations of Physics